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36th out of 55 books
—
88 voters
Strip
by
Thomas Perry
An aging but formidable strip club owner, Claudiu “Manco” Kapak, has been robbed by a masked gunman as he placed his cash receipts in a bank’s night-deposit box. Enraged, he sends his half-dozen security men out to find a suspect who is spending lots of cash and is new enough to Los Angeles not to know he was robbing a gangster.
Their search leads them to Joe Carver, an inn...more
Their search leads them to Joe Carver, an inn...more
Hardcover, 344 pages
Published
May 13th 2010
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published 2010)
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If you’re looking for a single main character working his/her way through a straight line narrative, then just keep on walking. If you’re in the mood for a large cast of well-defined characters scheming their way through a web of theft, double-crosses, mistaken identity, misguided revenge attempts, bigamy, money laundering, strip clubs, night clubs, arson, murder and the destruction of a couple of Hummers, then this is definitely the book for you.
The book opens with Joe Carver on the run and sle...more
The book opens with Joe Carver on the run and sle...more
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Absolutely delightful stand-alone Perry. It begins well, as Carver, suspected by Manco Kapak, a local mobster of having held him up and stealing a week's worth of receipts (he didn't), is hiding out in the cab of a 250-foot crane at a construction site. Feeling this is probably the safest place he can be so as not to be found, there's a great scene where Carver uses the crane rather innovatively to take out a couple of the goons' Hummers when they find him, his hiding place being not as secure a...more
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I read this in parallel with Harlan coben's "Caught" and that really made it stand out as the kind of crime fiction I like best. I got hooked on Thomas Perry's writing after reading one of his first books, "The Butcher's Boy". He creates interesting characters which support the story's believability even if they would seem ridiculous in the hands of a lesser writer. They fit right in so you say to yourself -Why not, this could happen. His writing style is similar to T Jefferson Parker's "The Ren...more
Manco Kapak owns a string of strip clubs and conducts a little bit of questionable business on the side to supplement his income. Jefferson Davis Falkins decides he’s found a new way of making money that does not involve real work of any kind … he just keeps robbing Manco when he makes his night deposits. Manco is not a man you want to cross. Unfortunately for Joe Carver, he ends up in the middle of the mess when his name comes up as the thief. Carver confronts Manco and declares his innocence,...more
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This is a good fast-paced fun crime book. Its in the Carl Haissen mold without the more fantastical elements. Definitely a good summer read. As the author weaves the various plot lines together the "feel" meanders a bit but it is still fun. I have a criticism but it involves revealing some key parts so the ending so I...more
This is a good fast-paced fun crime book. Its in the Carl Haissen mold without the more fantastical elements. Definitely a good summer read. As the author weaves the various plot lines together the "feel" meanders a bit but it is still fun. I have a criticism but it involves revealing some key parts so the ending so I...more
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Usually I give any book by Thomas Perry 4 stars, (and once, I may have given one 5 stars). I find his books very entertaining--exciting without being gory--and always with unexpected twists.
However STRIP disappointed me. There were so many characters and sub-plots that I had a hard time keeping them straight, especially when so many of the characters had names that started with either the letter J or the letter S: Joe, Jeff, Jerry, Jimmy; Spence, Slosser, Sherri, Skelly, Stacy, Sandi, and Sonia....more
However STRIP disappointed me. There were so many characters and sub-plots that I had a hard time keeping them straight, especially when so many of the characters had names that started with either the letter J or the letter S: Joe, Jeff, Jerry, Jimmy; Spence, Slosser, Sherri, Skelly, Stacy, Sandi, and Sonia....more
This is a very entertaining book with a host of quirky, interesting characters of the sort that you might expect to find in an Elmore Leonard novel. An aging L.A. strip club owner named Manko Kapak is robbed of several thousand dollars while making his nightly deposit. Losing the money is bad enough, but being ripped off like this is even worse for the reputation of someone like Kapak. He orders his crew to find the thief and make an example of him.
Sadly, Kapak's thugs identify the wrong man, a...more
Sadly, Kapak's thugs identify the wrong man, a...more
6 likes · like · see review
An unusual one for Thomas Perry, since it doesn't deal exclusively with somebody trying to escape from powerful forces. That describes only one of four or five intertwined plots, each dealing with a vivid character or characters trying to get what they want. None of them is completely innocent, their guilt and viciousness is carefully calibrated, and if you're a fan of poetic justice, it's fun to watch how Perry works the plot to make sure each gets exactly what he deserves. For the first time i...more
A solid pleasurable three, up until a few last-minute plot-twist shivs made me marvel at Perry's attention to plot and character.
At his best, Perry does two things exceedingly well. One, he has an eye and ear for all kinds of telling details--flour on a typepad to reveal a password, the way shattered glass splinters speckle a shooter and lead the long day thereafter to all sorts of small discomforts, the careful attention to sightlines and the observer's tedium that an experienced sniper would u...more
At his best, Perry does two things exceedingly well. One, he has an eye and ear for all kinds of telling details--flour on a typepad to reveal a password, the way shattered glass splinters speckle a shooter and lead the long day thereafter to all sorts of small discomforts, the careful attention to sightlines and the observer's tedium that an experienced sniper would u...more
I "read" the audiobook version of this latest from Thomas Perry. I found it interesting that like Perry's earlier Metzger's Dog, the "villain" of this book turns out to be surprisingly full of traits that made him likeable as the story progressed. Another interesting quirk of this novel was that the person who started out the whole story as the seeming protagonist, Joe Carver, didn't actually end up as the main character. In fact, the novel felt a bit fragmented in that there were a number of ch...more
Thomas Perry is one of those guys who's been so good for so long that he almost fades into the landscape. This is a charmer of a book marred somewhat at the very end, in which a pack of feral quasi-criminals without an unshredded moral fiber among them intersects in in an intricate dance across L.A. And yet, one at a time, Perry takes us inside these people and shows us how they work and (most of the time) why they work that way, and they become, if not friends, acquaintances. And he continues t...more
STRIP was the result of a trip to the library for an Elmore Leonard book, DJIBOUTI, that was missing a disk and so I had to find another. I found this. It was, and is still, an audiobook.
It was a rare find. I didn't have any expectation and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The improbable protagonist didn't quite have super powers but what did I care; I was merely killing time waiting for my Elmore Leonard book to morph another disc. But I loved it!
The intertwining characters, a moderate crooked cop, a s...more
It was a rare find. I didn't have any expectation and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The improbable protagonist didn't quite have super powers but what did I care; I was merely killing time waiting for my Elmore Leonard book to morph another disc. But I loved it!
The intertwining characters, a moderate crooked cop, a s...more
Many critics commented that the plethora of characters and subplots might have undermined Strip's power, but they all agreed that Perry's talent in weaving together seemingly loose strands makes the book an unqualified success. The intriguing, action-oriented characters--each with his or her own agenda--captivated reviewers, some of whom ended up rooting for even the bad guys. "The wonderful characters keep on coming," noted the New York Times Book Review. Although they start off as "familiar ty...more
I'm a fan of Thomas Perry's. Met him a couple times at the local bookstore and he's a great guy. Loved the Jane Whitefield series, but even he will tell you he pushed the last one out for the readers. This was a fun book, but more of an afternoon snack rather than a full meal. The story centers on a varied cast of largely troubled crime characters loosely connected through a couple crimes. I like the unpredictability of the story and enjoyed a lot of the quirky characters, but the story lacks ge...more
The story of “The Strip” was different and fresh. I detest gangster books as I find that most of them are very raw and distasteful; however looks like I may change my opinion soon. The beginning of the book was catchy and kept me glued but as I kept progressing the story got sluggish. This was in spite of the fact that lots was still happening (probably too much). At the end the vigor and rush was back and it only got better with each page-turn. I don’t want to give any spoilers but for me the b...more
Thomas Perry is a top drawer writer. He uses lyrical, literary style in the thriller/suspense genre; another technique is the twists and surprising denouements.
Strip, however, is completely different style from anything I have read by Mr. Perry, and I didn't care for it. In a sense, it is slapstick - a parody of true crime/mob novels. When I considered it was a farce of sorts, I kept reading, attempting to appreciate the dark humor... to no avail. The plot was driven by the sociopathic major ch...more
Strip, however, is completely different style from anything I have read by Mr. Perry, and I didn't care for it. In a sense, it is slapstick - a parody of true crime/mob novels. When I considered it was a farce of sorts, I kept reading, attempting to appreciate the dark humor... to no avail. The plot was driven by the sociopathic major ch...more
If you read and enjoy thrillers full of bad guys duping other bad guys you will definitely love this bunch of misfits.
What we have here, is the story of an aging, arrogant, impotent gangster hanging onto his ego, supported by a puppet staff bullied into carrying out his orders in order to retain power and his supremacy in the underworld of flesh peddling and money laundering.
Manco Kapak owns a few clubs in the LA area and moves money for a major drug distributor. One night while making his dai...more
What we have here, is the story of an aging, arrogant, impotent gangster hanging onto his ego, supported by a puppet staff bullied into carrying out his orders in order to retain power and his supremacy in the underworld of flesh peddling and money laundering.
Manco Kapak owns a few clubs in the LA area and moves money for a major drug distributor. One night while making his dai...more
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I have read other books by this author and really enjoyed them but I didn't enjoy this book quite as much. A man who has left a life as a pub owner behind in eastern US moves to LA to start a new life. The owner of 3 pubs who does money laundrying for a drug dealer on the side has been robbed. His security guards suspected, Joe Carver, the new man in town as being the culprit. Even though Joe goes to the pub owner's, Manco Kapak's home, to tell him he is not the culprit, Kapak does not believe h...more
Well, this was way better than Ordinary Thunderstorms. This is an engaging, very fast moving crime novel with lots of compelling characters. Sort of like an Elmore Leonard novel, but with some genuine complexity. I had two major problems with the novel, though: 1) The most interesting characters get relatively little POV time in the story and 2) Although the ending was satisfying, I thought the author was foreshadowing a conclusion that would bring more of the disparate story lines together. Ins...more
This was a clever book with a likeable resilent MC, and a band of mostly wacky, but still believable supporting characters who manage to twist themselves and the plot into lots of surprising and sometimes unsettling knots. It's funny, occasionally violent (very), and although I laughed and empathized with the quirky cast through most of the book, I have to say I found the ending darker and sadder than I expected. I get that a happy one for everyone was too much to ask for, but I didn't expect it...more
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Joe Carver moves to Los Angeles and starts flashing money in local clubs. Club owner Manco Kapak is robbed and, figuring it has to be someone unfamiliar with his shady reputation figures it has to be someone new to town. When his men start asking women if there is a newbie spending a lot of money, two identify Joe, who has to go into hiding. Joe and Manco play a cat and mouse game throughout. The real robber hooks up with a psycho girlfirend and the tension escalates. Almost everyone is crooked...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Had to add a new shelf for this one--not my usual fare but I really enjoyed it for that. Plenty of twists and turns and everybody looking for the main chance--but most of the characters were likeable enough that one actually wanted them to get that main chance. Even as the book ended we were left with the idea that someone just got scammed and we're not completely sure it wasn't us. Great dialogue and the male characters play those gorgeous LA women like a fiddle. The women know how to use their...more
Bought this on a whim - eh.
Very quick read. It gets two stars for the intricate plot and the quite large number of interesting characters. But in the end, I didn't like any of them even as engaging villians, or people who worked as the hero of their own stories.
I ended up feeling that I'd read a long short story although I'm sure it was actually a reasonable length. The plot was nicely twisty, and there was a center story that I saw a mile off. But I just didn't care.
The next time I see a new P...more
Very quick read. It gets two stars for the intricate plot and the quite large number of interesting characters. But in the end, I didn't like any of them even as engaging villians, or people who worked as the hero of their own stories.
I ended up feeling that I'd read a long short story although I'm sure it was actually a reasonable length. The plot was nicely twisty, and there was a center story that I saw a mile off. But I just didn't care.
The next time I see a new P...more
Thomas Perry is a terrific writer. He is superb at fleshing out characters, pays attention to the physical setting, and usually has a main plot and several subplots that come together at the book's end. In Strip--think Las Vegas--the various characters meander about, the plot is just barely believable, and none of the characters are particularly memorable. Why in the world he brought in a bigamous cop and then failed to capitalize on the circumstances was a real weakness in my enjoyment of the b...more
I have read and enjoyed (some more than others) Thomas Perry's novels. I remember liking Nightlife a lot, and some of the Jane Whitefield books are fun to read. This book, however, has too many characters to keep up with. The threads running through the story make the plot too leaden and weighted down. Although some of the characters are evoked well, there was a sense of dissatisfaction that I felt as the story lines veered from one to another. There was a fairly neat wrap-up to the ending, but...more
Stephen King says: "Manco Kapak is a small-time bad guy who owns strip clubs where bigger bad guys launder their dope money. After Kapak is robbed while making a night deposit, he decides L.A. newcomer Joe Carver was the culprit. He's wrong about Carver in all sorts of ways, and soon Kapak is in a fight for not only his business life but his life life. Alternately hilarious and creepy — you'll meet a sexy thrill-robber named Carrie who'll make your hair stand on end — Strip is notable for how, i...more
I love Perry: snappy but believable dialogue, lovable bad guys, corrupt good guys, and twisty plots. This one was set in LA, so it was fun following the characters around my city. As always, the criminal details are fascinating: I learned a nifty way to break into a digital safe, and if I ever need to launder money through a strip club, I'm ready, baby. It wasn't my favorite -- there were a few too many characters, and no central protagonist to root for -- but it was still better than 99% of the...more
I really liked this book. It got more and more exciting the further I got into it, by the end there were so many things happening (one that made me feel a bit queasy), and although I'm slightly confused, I really liked how it ended.
It was interesting to read what Kapak would do to get Carver, and what Carver would do to try and get Kapak off his back. I loved reading about all the interactions between people and I think it seemed quite believable most of the time. My favourite character was prob...more
It was interesting to read what Kapak would do to get Carver, and what Carver would do to try and get Kapak off his back. I loved reading about all the interactions between people and I think it seemed quite believable most of the time. My favourite character was prob...more
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Thomas Perry was born in Tonawanda, New York in 1947. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1969 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Rochester in 1974. He has worked as a park maintenance man, factory laborer, commercial fisherman, university administrator and teacher, and a writer and producer of prime time network television shows. He lives in Southern California with his wife...more
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